The Synergistic Effect of Time of Exposure, Distance and No Use of Personal Protective Equipment in the Determination of SARS-CoV-2 Infection: Results of a Contact Tracing Follow-Up Study in Healthcare Workers.

The aim of this study is to assess the effect of contact time, contact distance and the use of personal protective equipment on the determination of SARS-CoV-2 infection in healthcare workers (HCWs). This study consists of an analysis of data gathered for safety reasons at the Sapienza Teaching Hospital Policlinico Umberto I in Rome through the surveillance system that was put into place after the worsening of the COVID-19 pandemic. The studied subjects consist of HCWs who were put under health surveillance, i.

Digoxin and Platelet Activation in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation: In Vivo and In Vitro Study.

Background Digoxin use was shown to be associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular events in atrial fibrillation ( AF ). We hypothesized that digoxin may affect cardiovascular risk by increasing platelet activation. Methods and Results Post hoc analysis of a prospective study of anticoagulated patients with AF .

Relationship of PCSK9 and Urinary Thromboxane Excretion to Cardiovascular Events in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation.

Background: Soluble proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) has been shown to be predictive of cardiovascular events (CVEs) in patients who are at high cardiovascular risk. No data on the effect of PCSK9 levels in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) are available.

Objectives: This study investigated the association between PCSK9 and CVEs in AF as well as the relationship between PCSK9 and urinary 11-dehydro-thromboxane B (11-dh-TxB), a marker of platelet activation.

Plasma levels of matrix metalloproteinases 2 and 9 correlate with histological grade in breast cancer patients.

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are proteolytic enzymes involved in the process of tumor invasion and metastasis that are found throughout tissues and also in the plasma. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the evaluation of plasma concentrations of MMPs 2, 3 and 9 may have clinical significance in breast cancer. Therefore, sera obtained from 80 patients with breast neoplasia (50 carcinomas and 30 fibroadenomas) were collected before and 96 h after surgery and the concentrations of MMPs 2, 3 and 9 were quantified using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).

[Comparison of plasma matrix metalloproteases 2, 3, 9 in breast carcinomas and fibroadenomas].

Tumor cell infiltration causes the remodelling of peritumoral tissues, determined by an increased lytic activity of extracellular matrix exerted by the neoplastic invasive phenotype. Among the principal lytic enzymes produced by tumor cells and mainly involved in invasion process there are the matrix metalloproteases (MMPs). The Authors compared the plasmatic values of MMPs 2, 3, 9 from patients with breast carcinomas and fibroadenomas in order to evaluate whether there was a significant difference between the two groups of patients.